Pumps which are used to pressurize air have exited from centuries. Today's air pumps typically include a cylinder in which a piston is reciprocally mounted so that air is drawn into the cylinder as the piston is moved in one direction and the drawn air is expelled under pressure as the piston is moved in the opposite direction. These air pumps have included both pistons which are manually actuated and pistons which are mechanically actuated through the use of gas powered engines or electric motors. In some locations, however, a source of electric power is not readily available and a motorized source is inconvenient.
Another problem with these air pumps is related to the seal between the piston and cylinder necessary to pressurize the air. These seals often wear due to the friction imposed upon them during piston movement. This wearing of the seal eventually causes an incomplete seal which in turn causes the pump to become inefficient or even inoperable.
Small air pumps, commonly associated with the inflation of floats and inflatable toys, have been designed which do not include pistons. These air pumps typically include a resilient bladder coupled to an air hose. The operator merely compresses the bladder to cause air to be expelled from the bladder and through the hose. While these air pumps are less suspectable to wear, they typically do not create a large pressure differential and do not pressurize large volumes of air with each stroke. Additionally, between each compression of the bladder the operator must wait for the bladder to re-inflate. As such, a person inflating a large float or the like must operate the pump for an extended period of time to accomplish the task. This has proven to be both time consuming and fatiguing.
It thus is seen that there remains a need for a non-manual air pump which does not require mechanical or electrical motors to operate. Accordingly, it is to the provision of such that the present invention is primarily directed.